Al Jazeera and Ooredoo Select DataMiner from Skyline Communications

Izegem, Belgium, April 2015– Skyline Communications, global leader in end-to-end multi-vendor network management and OSS software solutions for the broadcast, satellite, cable, telco and mobile industry, announces that DataMiner has been selected by Al Jazeera as the network management and OSS platform for their new Global Media Cloud (GMC) network. Once it is implemented, over 80 offices will be connected with the latest state-of the-art network, which will allow Al Jazeera to transport media and data, as well as serve emerging corporate uses.

The investment, worth more than $130M, is based on different technologies provided by Net Insight, Cisco, Harris, Riverbed and Skyline Communications. DataMiner manages the services end to end, using unified workflows that are transparent to the underlying technologies. “Our ultimate goal is to make sure that any user of Al Jazeera who sits in any of the more than 80 global locations will feel like they are sitting in the headquarters in Doha, so they will have access to all the resources they need, be it media files, accessing the MAM, or any other broadcast or corporate IT service”, says Mr. Mohamed Abuagla, Executive Director of Technology & Operations (CIO/CTO) at Al Jazeera Media Network. “The idea is to allow all these people to share information and to allow much faster newsgathering and sharing operations for Al Jazeera.”

Ooredoo, Qatar’s leading communications company, will provide support as an end-to-end service provider for the implementation of the media solution and for its operation. Ooredoo's bigger, faster global network will provide unprecedented connectivity and security. “DataMiner provides a real-time view on the performance of the network, and from a single console we manage the SDH core network, MPLS connections and satellite links. This hybrid network architecture is based on using the right technology at the right place at the right time, and we are extremely pleased to work on this project, as Ooredoo works to help Al Jazeera access content and share their broadcasts with the world faster than ever,” says Shk. Saud Bin Nasser Al Thani, CEO Ooredoo Qatar.

“DataMiner supports media and IT services across technology boundaries. Getting the best out of a network requires unified media workflows, rigorous planning of resources and bandwidth capacity, an open northbound interface to any MAM and ERP system, and interfaces to many different network elements,” says Mr. Ben Vandenberghe, CEO at Skyline Communications. “DataMiner is integrated with over 4000 devices from more than 500 vendors, and guarantees smooth integration of any future technology in the platform over time. The solution has been successfully deployed among major media companies and service providers. Skyline Communications is independent from technology vendors and is therefore uniquely placed to provide companies like Al Jazeera and Ooredoo the freedom to deploy the most suitable technology in their infrastructure”.

The DataMiner multi-vendor NMS/OSS has also been selected as the platform that will manage Al Jazeera’s upgraded broadcast centers globally. London is one of the first targets, next to Doha and DC, and most of the other bureaus will follow.

Al Jazeera is one of the world’s leading media corporations, encompassing news, documentary and children’s channels. Al Jazeera started out more than fifteen years ago as the first independent news channel in the Arab world dedicated to covering and uncovering stories in the region. It is now a media network consisting of over twenty channels – Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera America, Al Jazeera Balkans, Al Jazeera Mubasher, Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr, Al Jazeera Documentary, Al Jazeera Turk, the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center, and the Al Jazeera Center for Studies.

The network’s news channels have an extensive newsgathering reach with over eighty bureaus across all the continents of the world. Al Jazeera’s in-depth global approach to journalism, allied with a commitment to giving ‘voice to the voiceless’, has won it numerous awards and plaudits over the years including the Columbia Journalism Award, a DuPont award, the four Freedoms medal, a Peabody, and RTS News Channel of the Year.

about ooredoo

Ooredoo is Qatar’s leading communications company, delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses. As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people’s lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communication to help people achieve their full potential.

about skyline communications

Skyline Communications is the global leading supplier of end-to-end multi-vendor network management and OSS solutions for the broadcast, satellite, cable, telco and mobile industry. The DataMiner network management platform, which received various prestigious awards, enables end-to-end integration of the most complex technical ecosystems and has been deployed by leading operators around the world. It is integrated with over 4000 devices and systems from more than 500 key industry suppliers, and offers a plethora of functionality including unlimited web access, alarming, email and SMS notification, long-term trending, professional reporting, advanced automation, intelligent correlation and root cause analysis, service management, real-time SLA monitoring, user-definable key performance indicator dashboards, spectrum monitoring, mobile access, powerful CPE management, inventory and asset management, and much more.